Lippert Components and Furrion support ocean-cleanup project

Lippert Components Inc. and Furrion said a percentage of the profits from the sales of Furrion marine products will support The Ocean Cleanup, an organization committed to ridding the oceans of plastic debris.

Founded by then 18-year-old aerospace engineering student Boyan Slat, The Ocean Cleanup is working to clear debris from the five major garbage patches in the oceans. Based in Delft in the Netherlands, The Ocean Cleanup is developing a self-sustaining network of floating barriers that are designed to capture the masses of circulating plastic debris, or garbage patches, utilizing the ocean’s currents.

The network is slated to deploy in 2020. Boyan and his team will first tackle the largest of the five garbage patches, located between California and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Their V-shaped barrier, boasting an impressive length of 100km, or about 62 miles, will be the largest floating object at sea and poses many implementation challenges.

Boyan and his team have overcome many of these challenges with the use of advanced technologies and innovative materials such as dyneema, the world’s strongest fiber.

The unique construction will allow the entire barrier to move with the waves, making it capable of withstanding ocean storms while naturally guiding fish and other marine life underneath.

“It is important that our products have a higher purpose, and that our customers understand our commitment to the environment,” said Matt Fidler, chief marketing officer at Furrion. “The work of The Ocean Cleanup will provide the next generation of boaters with cleaner oceans to enjoy with their families and eliminate harmful ingested plastic debris from marine life.”

LCI and Furrion have reached out to several distributor partners and customers in the marine industry to share the opportunity to engage with The Ocean Cleanup. Many have also made donations to the organization.